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Wedding Woes
Heffalump
member
Where is Bmom?
in Wedding Woes
I need someone to rail against the anti-vaccine people with me. Righteous indignation isn't as much fun by your lonesome.
In spite of years of research proving otherwise, some parents still misguidedly believe vaccines--such as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot--can cause autism. And their decision to skip their children's vaccinations are leading to an increasing number of measles outbreaks.
Measles once affected about 4 million children a year, causing hundreds of deaths and leaving thousands more with brain damage. Widespread vaccination programs have eliminated the disease in North America. But parents who choose not to get their children vaccinated leave them vulnerable to contracting the illness from someone in another part of the world, where measles is more common.
Vancouver is dealing with its own small outbreak following the massive influx of visitors for the Winter Olympics. Sixteen people have contracted the measles; half of them are in one unvaccinated household. Health officials are usually able to keep outbreaks of the incredibly contagious virus small, but because it's so easily transmitted from person to person, even a minor outbreak causes considerable work and is costly for officials to contain.
While some may reject shots for religious reasons, an increasing number of parents do so because they believe in raising their kids in a 'natural' lifestyle can help boost their immunity to diseases without vaccinations. But they not only reject shots due to their misinformed ideas about their safety, but also because they don't trust government officials who say the injections aren't linked to autism.
In spite of years of research proving otherwise, some parents still misguidedly believe vaccines--such as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot--can cause autism. And their decision to skip their children's vaccinations are leading to an increasing number of measles outbreaks.
Measles once affected about 4 million children a year, causing hundreds of deaths and leaving thousands more with brain damage. Widespread vaccination programs have eliminated the disease in North America. But parents who choose not to get their children vaccinated leave them vulnerable to contracting the illness from someone in another part of the world, where measles is more common.
Vancouver is dealing with its own small outbreak following the massive influx of visitors for the Winter Olympics. Sixteen people have contracted the measles; half of them are in one unvaccinated household. Health officials are usually able to keep outbreaks of the incredibly contagious virus small, but because it's so easily transmitted from person to person, even a minor outbreak causes considerable work and is costly for officials to contain.
While some may reject shots for religious reasons, an increasing number of parents do so because they believe in raising their kids in a 'natural' lifestyle can help boost their immunity to diseases without vaccinations. But they not only reject shots due to their misinformed ideas about their safety, but also because they don't trust government officials who say the injections aren't linked to autism.
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Re: Where is Bmom?
I understand some vaccines may be unnecessary (jury, IMO, is somewhat out on chicken pox vac based on the immunity given vs. the immunity from catching the disease/possibility of a more severe case later in life if Beauford doesn't get his boosters properly once he's over 18 and not my problem. I can even *almost* get the hubub re: the HPV vac because people are nervous about long-term side effects and dont trust the studies [blame Vioxx and other BS studies to feed the tin-foil-hatter's paranoia]). But for the love of pete, risk benefit analysis people!
Risk from vaccine--almost 0. (and I say that in spite of knowing people who did things like, oh, permanently damaged themselves catching polio from the damn vaccine).
Risk from no vaccine? HUGE.
They were talking about this on NPR, and the children not being vaccinated are the children of upper class rich folks. Those who are supposed to be educated, as Bmom said.
Since measles and such has pretty much been a non-issue, docs are having a problem accurately identifying cases of it. They don't know what it looks like because they hadn't seen it before - so it spreads before they can catch it.
Gross cooties.
(my parents re-did all theirs a few years ago, befor a trip to the Ukraine. They addedon on their shingles vac and something else at that point)
It makes me extra stabby because some people CAN"T get their shots.
So my cousin who is insanely allergic to eggs (so can't get most of his shots)? he's put at extra risk because he's in an unvacced herd w/o the same herd immunity.
[QUOTE]I don't disagree with you. I assumed he'd had all his vaxes until a couple months ago, when it came out he hadn't, and I roundly criticized him for not getting it taken care of - and not bringing it up when, oh, say, I WAS HAVING A BABY. It didn't occur to me to ask, because I thought (mistakenly, as I learned later) he had a mostly normal upbringing. But, no; he likes to spring the crazy on me at random times.
Posted by baconsmom[/QUOTE]
This makes me think I may have been wrong to assume the same about DH.
I will admit, I was a huge, HUGE beebee about him getting the whooping cough vaccine when DD was first born. I think he did it just to shut me up.